International Student Work Experience Program

The International Student Work Experience Program helps full-time undergraduate international students paying the U of A differential fee to find employment, develop their career skills and gain valuable work experience over the summer.

Requirements of all ISWEP positions

Students hired must be full-time University of Alberta undergraduate international students who pay the differential fee.

Approved positions will receive a subsidy of $7.00/ hour to a maximum of $4,000/position.

Approved positions must comply at minimum with the pay grades in the current collective agreement. All hires must be hired at a minimum of grade 1, step 1.

Participating employers must post approved positions on the U of A Career Centre’s online job board targeting undergraduate international students. Student applications are collected and vetted for program eligibility, and then sent to employers for shortlisting.

Students

If you are currently registered full-time in a University of Alberta undergraduate degree program and have paid International Differential Fees for the current school year, you are eligible to apply on ISWEP job opportunities. No program registration is required.

International graduate students are not eligible to participate in the ISWEP.

How to participate

All eligible students can apply on ISWEP positions. No program registration is required. ISWEP summer jobs are posted on the Career Centre Job Board beginning late March.

Program job postings will include the keyword ISWEP in their job titles.

Make sure to pay close attention to each job posting’s application instructions. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

The types of positions and duties are varied; students with a variety of educational backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

The U of A Career Centre also posts new job opportunities each day that are not part of the ISWEP, so check the online job board often for other opportunities that might be a good fit for you.

Employers

Each summer the International Student Work Experience Program (ISWEP) accepts applications from employers looking to hire a student and have that position supplemented under the ISWEP. Approved positions are reimbursed a wage subsidy of $7.00/hour to a maximum of $4000/position.

Application process and criteria

All applications are reviewed and ranked by a selection committee based on a number of factors including quality of work experience, hourly salary, number of weeks and hours per week offered. Departments will be notified on the status of the application by late March. Successful departments will be provided with further recruiting and administrative information.

Applications should include as much detail as possible about the position summary, duties and career-related skill information. Preference may be given to those departments and/or positions that have not received funding in the past.